As the Years Pass By
by LyonBreach
Summary: Usagi Rin and Tezuka Kunimitsu have known each other since their childhood. A sudden decision can change everything between them causing regret. Hopefully, a chance at redemption will pass by, just as the years have. Tezu/OC pairing. -HIATUS-
1. Chapter 1:

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, even though I wish I did~! I actually don't need the whole series, I just need Tezuka-buchou :3. Sadly, he doesn't belong to me. ;c**

Tezuka Kunimitsu and Usagi Rin were acquaintances through their grandfathers Tezuka Kunikazu and Usagi Ryota. Kunikazu and Ryota had only met through one common ground, Shogi, while at a park nearby Kunikazu's residence. Ryota had brought his granddaughter, Rin, along with him to play while her parents worked during the day. Kunikazu had brought his grandson Kunimitsu along so that he could make friends since Kunikazu decided that the boy was too quiet for his age.

"Who's this young lady you brought with you Usagi? It's very uncommon to see any ladies around you," said Kunikazu.

"Ah, this here is Rin, my granddaughter. My son-in-law and daughter both had work again, so they left her in my care. She seems quiet too, especially one her age. I figured it'd be good for her to have interactions with other kids her age. Usually they're rambunctious and obnoxious, but not her," Ryota replied while looking at Rin, who was hiding behind his legs. "Come now Rin, old Tezuka-san here won't hurt you." As Ryota said this, footsteps were heard coming in their direction.

"Ojii-san, how long are we going to stay out here?" an unknown voice asked.

"Hoi, Kunimitsu! Don't sneak up on me like that! Eto…we're not leaving for a while, Kunimitsu. I still have to play Usagi-san here in a game of Shogi. One more game and I'll be tied with him!" chuckled Kunikazu. Kunimitsu, however, was not pleased with his grandfather's antics and stalked off towards what seems to be the tennis courts. "That boy is too serious and mature for his age. It's not good," said Kunikazu as his smile slowly dropped.

"Oi Rin, why don't you go and cheer up Kunimitsu? He could use a friend." Ryota said as he did a gentle shove against Rin towards Kunimitsu's direction. Rin paused, unsure of what to do, then started to slowly walk towards the tennis courts too. Halfway there, the lips of both Kunikazu and Ryota shifted upwards into a smirk.

Rin didn't have far to walk, as the tennis courts were practically next to the Shogi playing area. As she was walking, she couldn't help but notice that Kunimitsu was standing in front of the fences that belonged to the tennis courts. On the courts, were two men hitting the ball to and fro with vigorous strength. Rin walked closer to observe the actions between the two men, and found herself standing next to Kunimitsu. There were a few minutes of silence before Rin broke it.

"D-do you like tennis Kunimitsu-chan?" asked Rin, who looked away towards the other side of the tennis courts before Kunimitsu could answer.

"Hai," was his only reply.

"Eto…really? Do you know how to play?"

"Hai. My father is teaching me the basics and I'll just advance from there on my own," came his stoic reply.

"Oh. I'm sort of learning too, and my father is teaching me as well," came her response. "Maybe you and I should practice sometime, Kunimitsu-chan."

"Hnn. That'd be good," he stated as he turned his head towards her, his dark brown orbs connected with her hazel orbs as he did so. "Bring your racquet out tomorrow and we can practice." After speaking, Rin heard her grandfather call out for her to head back.

"H-hai. I will. Thanks Kunimitsu-chan," said Rin as she started turning her body to head back while not breaking the eye contact between them. "I've got to go. I'll see you tomorrow Kunimitsu-chan."

"Hai, same here," said Kunimitsu as he headed back in the other direction.

The next day, Ryota and Rin came out again. Ryota met Kunikazu at the usual place, the Shogi tables. This time, Kunimitsu was sitting on one of the seat, racquet bag in hand. He was staring off in another direction while his grandfather was lecturing him about being more social and being less introverted. His attention turned when he saw the same girl with hazel orbs from yesterday, Rin. She was holding a tennis bag in one hand and the other hand held her grandfather's.

"Eto, what's this? Rin, you're playing tennis with Kunimitsu?" asked Ryota.

"Hai, Ojii-san. I invited him to practice with me since Tou-san isn't home again," replied Rin, her voice barely above a whisper.

"Eeh? That's fine with me, just be careful and try not to get hurt. You know how your mother acts when you get a scrape, cut, or bruise," said Ryota as he remembered his daughter almost chopping his head off for letting Rin trip and fall.

"Hai, Ojii-san. I'll be careful," said Rin as she turned to Kunimitsu. "Ready?" she asked. A nod was all she received as an answer and then they both headed to the tennis courts.

"Both of them are so quiet. I wouldn't be surprised if they somehow ended up together in the near future," stated Kunikazu as he rested his chin on his arm that was propped up against the Shogi board.

"Agreed. They seem to have some chemistry between them, if anything it's a silent reaction," chuckled Ryota.

Rin and Kunimitsu had arrived at the tennis courts and started taking out their racquets and some tennis balls. Rin started to adjust the strings on her racquet, put on the shock absorber, then started to walk towards the other half of the tennis court. Kunimitsu had taken longer since he had to apply a new over grip to his racquet, put on his wristband, and take off his sweatshirt before heading to his half of the tennis court. When Rin realized that he was ready, she started a slow rally that kept at a steady pace. She was surprised, Kunimitsu's father must have been good at tennis if Kunimitsu could be able to return her hits with a powerful forehand. She smirked and returned the ball, but with a little bit more topspin to it. Kunimitsu couldn't reach in time, causing the ball to hit the fence behind him. He looked down from the ball then up to her face, which had a small smirk plastered to it. In return, his stoic face remained the same, but he picked up the ball and started the next rally with her. Before they knew it, the sun had almost gone down and the park lights had turned on. They stopped once they noticed that they couldn't hear the sounds of children playing on the playground anymore.

"I think we should call it a day Kunimitsu-chan, it's getting dark," said Rin as she headed towards her bag to put away the racquet and the tennis balls.

"Hai, it is getting dark," came his response.

"Kunimitsu!"

"Rin!" Both Rin and Kunimitsu looked over to the direction of the voices calling their names. They saw that their grandfathers had forgotten the time and got lost in their intense game of Shogi. "We forgot that you two were playing here. Well…that and the fact that I beat Tezuka-san over here once again, giving me the lead by one game," chuckled Ryota.

"Oh shut up, Usagi-san. You only won because we forgot the grandkids tagged along and had to rush over here, while you were leading the game," retorted Kunikazu, refusing to admit defeat to his Shogi rival.

"Hah! Sore loser! Rin, never be a poor sport like Tezuka-san over here. You'll never enjoy the game if you do," grinned Ryota. Kunimitsu couldn't help but watch the exchange between the older men while watching Rin's reaction when her grandfather spoke to her. Her cheeks lit up a red color as she nodded, replying to his comment about Kunimitsu's grandfather being a 'sore loser'. "Well, it's time to go Rin. Saa, before your Tou-san gets worried about where you've been," said Ryota as he grabbed Rin's hand. "Well, we're off Tezuka-san. Take care Kunimitsu." Both grandfather and granddaughter walked off leaving Kunimitsu and his grandfather behind.

"Oi, Kunimitsu, are you and Rin friends?" asked Kunikazu, watching his grandson's reaction to the question. He wasn't surprised as the boy's face remained stoic.

"Hai, but we're not very close if that's what you're trying to say," he replied, his eyes not leaving Rin's retreating figure.

"Ah, good. Don't let that one get away, she's a keeper," chuckled Kunikazu. Kunimitsu turned around and grabbed his bag off the ground as his grandfather chuckled. A smirk couldn't help but escape, however it was only for a slight second before his face became passive again.

Over the next few weeks, Kunimitsu and Rin would come out with their grandfathers and play tennis at the courts until dawn. Each day was almost the same, with the exception of Kunimitsu's and Rin's skills increasing. However, one day was entirely different from the others, making it something for them to both remember.

Rin threw the ball up in the air, and brought the head of racquet down on it, performing a slice serve. Kunimitsu, of course, easily returned it and criticized the flow of her movements, claiming it was 'sluggish' and 'off-balance'. Rin pouted as he return-aced her while criticizing something she worked hard on. Both of them, being only seven, had been very mature for their age but every once in a while, Rin would be childish and immature when he made an offensive comment towards her.

"Mitsu-chan, I don't like playing tennis with you anymore," Rin stated bluntly.

"Why's that?" asked Kunimitsu, curious as to why she would bring that out of the blue.

"Because you're always so mean to me when we play even though we've met three months ago," replied Rin. "Can't you be a little bit nicer to me at least?"

"Eto, I don't know what you mean by 'nice'. I've always been like this, but I wasn't aware that my words were affecting you. Gomenasai," said Kunimitsu as he picked up the ball from the net and walked back to the baseline. Rin let out a sigh and started walking towards her tennis bag. "Where are you going?" asked Kunimitsu.

"Home, because I don't like the way you're being right now Kunimitsu. I'm getting offended by your words and actions. You don't go and say sorry to someone like you don't mean it, then walk away," Rin said as she started shoving things in her bag in an effort to get away from him.

"Gomenasai, I don't know what you mean," stated Kunimitsu. Honestly, he was telling the truth. He didn't know what she meant because so far, Rin was his only friend and he didn't know how to act since she was his first and only friend considering he didn't have any other interactions with kids his age. When his response came, Rin gripped her bag and stalked off towards the entrance to the courts. "W-wait Rin-chan! What did I do wrong?" asked Kunimitsu.

"Ne, I'm sorry Mitsu-chan, but I can't really say. It's not you. I'm just dealing with some things with my family right now. Gomen," she said as she rapidly exited. Kunimitsu just stood there watching her leave in a rush without knowing why.

What Kunimitsu didn't know, was that her family was having a rough time. Her parents were fighting over financial problems and her mother was making things worse by threating her father with a divorce, all while Rin was caught in the middle of the warfare. Her parents' fighting lasted for a good four years before they both decided they couldn't handle each other anymore. Her mother filed a divorce and took half of her father's belongings when Rin was only eleven. Her father had ended up moving to Kyoto, finding a new job, and a new wife while starting a brand new life without Rin in it. The stress that her parents had been putting on her had not affected her at first, but it became evident later. Her grandfather began to notice it and decided she should start spending more afternoons with him at the park and playing tennis with Kunimitsu rather than staying at his house, since her father didn't want to keep her and her mother needed time to find a new job. Until then, Rin and her mother had stayed with Ryota until her mother could find her footing and start over again. The impact of her parents' fighting made Rin feel like she couldn't do anything but keep that stress bottled up. She felt nobody else would understand her. Kunimitsu had become irritated at her actions during their tennis practices with each other. Her hits were slower and it seemed like she wasn't even putting effort into playing him. Thinking that it was something else, Kunimitsu confronted her about it, saying that she's not playing with her full extent and that she was toying with him.

"Look Kunimitsu," said Rin as she was breathing in and out slowly while clenching her fists, "I'm just going through some tough times right now. I need some alone time." Rin had started to turn and walk the other direction from him. A hand reached out and grabbed her wrist, stopping her in her tracks.

"You're not alone, you know. I know it may not seem much, but I do care about you and I don't want to see you sad. Can you please tell me what's wrong?" asked Kunimitsu, his face stoic, but his eyes reflecting his concern.

"…No. I can't. It's an inner battle that I have to fight. I'm sorry Kunimitsu, I wish you could help but it's a matter of internal conflicts I need to deal with myself," said Rin as she pulled her wrist out of his hand. Kunimitsu, finally getting angry that she wouldn't accept his help even though her was offering it freely, snapped.

"Rin, I know you've been having problems with your family. It's plain to see. What I don't get is why you won't accept my help when all I've been giving you is my support. It's fine though. If you don't need me, **then I don't need you**," Kunimitsu said as he huffed then walked off to get his grandfather and tell him that he was heading home first. Kunimitsu didn't know that Rin couldn't really tell him. It was a painful experience and recalling it would defeat the purpose of her pushing it to the back of her head. He was her closest friend. Her only friend. Him abandoning her is twice as worse as her parents fighting because they've spent years together as friends. That, and the fact that he was the only friend she had made in past few years. He was the only one who really understood her, but now he was choosing to walk away and leave her. Well, that was fine by her. She didn't need him, or so she thought.

Over the next few days, Kunimitsu still came out with his grandfather to play tennis. He headed off to the courts, hoping that Rin was there practicing her serves as usual. She wasn't there, leaving the courts devoid of all sounds. He then walked back to the Shogi tables and up to Ryota.

"Usagi-san, can I ask where Rin-chan is?" asked Kunimitsu, his mask hiding his concern.

"Oh, Kunimitsu. Rin didn't tell you? Her mother got a new job. The thing is, her new job's all the way in London. She didn't want to leave Rin here with me, feeling that she'd be a burden on me, so she decided to take Rin along with her," Ryota said as his voice softened considerably. It took sometime before Ryota's words finally sunk into Kunimitsu's head. Once it did, Kunimitsu dropped his bag and frowned.

"…Arigatou, for telling me Usagi-san," he said to Ryota, then turned to his own grandfather, "Ojii-san, I'm heading home first."

"Ah," was the one-word reply that his grandfather gave him.

Kunimitsu walked and thought over and over again what Rin's grandfather had told him. '_She moved away. She didn't tell me. We had a fight before she left, and I regret what I told her. I never got to say sorry, or wish her goodbye.' _These thoughts kept flowing in and out of his head as he walked home.

"Rin, if I ever see you again one day, I promise I'll make things right."

**A/N: So…how did you like it considering that this is my first fic on FF? I would like some constructive criticism, ideas, or reviews please! I hope I didn't do too bad. I'm a bit rusty c:**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis, even though I wish I did~! I actually don't need the whole series, I just need Tezuka-buchou :3. Sadly, he doesn't belong to me. ;c**

It's been a good three years since Usagi Rin had left for London, leaving behind her best and only friend: Tezuka Kunimitsu. Before she left, the two of them had gotten into a heated argument that questioned their friendship through the years. Kunimitsu, being young without any control of his emotions, ended up yelling at Rin saying hurtful things that he later ended up regretting. Since then, he swore that if he were to ever see her again, he would make things right between them.

"Oi…Okaa-san, when did you say we're heading back to Japan again?" asked a fourteen year old Rin. She had just walked halfway down the set of stairs before pausing halfway, looking down at her mother who was finishing the last of the packing.

"I told you Rin, I'm not going. You're going to be leaving tomorrow morning and heading to japan to stay with your Ojii-san. Did you pack everything like I asked you to?" her mother replied with a hint of irritation creeping in her voice.

"…Yeah. I don't see why I have to head back though. Why aren't you coming along again…?" asked Rin, slightly hurt because it seemed like her mother wanted to be rid of her.

"Your Ojii-san just misses you, that's all. I'm not going because I have to stay here and work. I just want you to visit him, is that too much to ask? Dinner's on the table and I'll be home in a few hours. Be good, don't wreck the house while I'm gone," her mother replied blatantly before putting on her shoes and heading out the door.

After her mother left the house, Rin released a sigh and headed down the rest of the stairs to the kitchen. She went to the fridge and grabbed a bottle of iced tea before heading back upstairs to her room. There, in her room, she turned on the laptop and checked her email. Everyday it was the same, she would wake up, do her morning routines, say bye to her mother, head to school, go to tennis club after school, head home tired, shower, do homework, check her email, eat dinner, then sleep. Honestly, it was all too repetitive to her. It was only a few days ago that her mother had received a phone call from her Ojii-san saying that he wanted Rin to come visit him and stay for a year. Rin didn't want to head back to Japan, but her mother had insisted enough to the point of where Rin had to agree to stop her mother from pestering her. It wasn't a light decision, of course. Moving to Japan again would mean starting over, meeting new people, going to a new school, and trying to find her place.

_'I haven't seen Ojii-san in a long time. Over the phone, he sounds like he's aging well…At least he's still active enough to walk to the park everyday to play Shogi with Tezuka-san. That makes me wonder…how is Kunimitsu-chan doing? Bah, he's probably too old to be called 'chan' now. Kunimitsu-kun…that sounds better, I suppose. Hopefully things haven't changed that much,"_ Rin pondered as she continued checking over her email. She was about to go and read the last email before her stomach decided that it was time to eat. She got up, fixed her shirt and PJ bottoms, and headed downstairs to eat dinner.

After dinner, she ran back upstairs and read the last message. It was from her Tou-san. Apparently, her father had been living a good life without her and her mother, it seems, because he had expressed the wealth and luck he had gained from the new family he started. He also told her that she was to expect a half brother soon, as his wife was expecting. While reading this, Rin thought that she could honestly care less. That man had decided to abandon his own family and went off to start a new one. For all she cares, he can do whatever he wanted as long as it didn't involve her. Reading the email and coming up with a reply for it was time consuming. By the time Rin was finished, it was about three in the morning. Her mother had gotten home quite some time ago, probably about two hours to be exact. Rin decided it was time to sleep, as she had to get up early to catch her flight to Japan.

"Rin, wake up! We're late! Come on!" her mother yelled frantically as she tried to put the luggage into the car while organizing things for Rin.

"Huh…? Okaa-san, what are you talking about? The flight's at eight. It's only…crap! It's seven forty! Oh man, oh man! I knew I shouldn't have stayed up that late!" she yelled as she rushed to put on decent clothes, brush her teeth, and fix her appearance.

"Baka, didn't I tell you the night before to sleep early since your flight's early in the morning! Come on now! I've got everything packed and ready! We just need to head to the airport! Pray that there isn't any major traffic!" her mother yelled to Rin as she hopped in the driver's seat. Shortly after, Rin ran hopped into the passenger seat of her mother's car. Once Rin was in the car, her mother stepped on the gas of the car and they both sped off to the airport.

"Ja, well see you Okaa-san! I'll make sure to call and check in with you every now and then! Take care of yourself, you hear? Don't do anything drastic while I'm gone! Miss you! Bye!" yelled Rin from the airport terminals. After leaving the terminals, she prepared to board the plane. Finally getting on the plane after baggage and security checks, she sat in her designated seat.

'_Ah…it's going to be a long flight…'_ Rin thought to herself as she look out of the airplane window with disinterest. Eventually, the never ending stream of clouds that passed by lulled her to sleep.

By the time she had arrived at the Japanese airport, it had started getting dark. She could tell dawn was approaching. It was a good thing about her mother speaking Japanese at home because at least she remembered some of her native tongue. Speaking in a non-fluent Japanese dialect, she was able to call a cab to drop her off at her grandfather's home.

Getting out of the cab, Rin then deposited about fifty yen into the driver's outreached hand.

"Arigatou, have a good night," Rin told the driver as he drove off. Turning around, she faced the house that he had gotten accustomed to calling 'home' three years ago. The two corners of her mouth twitched upwards into a small grin. "I'm home Ojii-san," she said to herself.

Rin walked up to the front door and knocked gently, footsteps could be heard coming from behind the door. Soon, the door opened up to reveal an old man with sandy, salt and pepper hair in his late fifties. The old man narrowed his eyes, and then opened them again wider once he realized who he was staring at.

"My! Is that you Rin? You've grown up remarkably! It only seemed like yesterday you were my little seven year old girl that would walk with me to the park, hand in hand. Ah, time seems to fly by, and it has done nothing but blossom you into a young woman," said Ryota as his face contorted into a small grin. Rin couldn't help but blush at the comment. It's not everyday that she was complimented on her looks.

"Arigatou, Ojii-san. Time has done nothing but made you wiser it seems. I really do miss this place. It brings back memories…," she said as her thoughts started drifting off. Her grandfather noticed this and his grin faltered.

"Now, now, Rin. This is a new start for you. After all, it's been three years since you last came here with your Okaa-san. Don't fret; I've taken care of your school enrollments for you. I hope you're fine with enrolling in Seishun Gakuen Jr. High, because your Okaa-san told me how much you've taken to tennis. I hear their tennis club is really something," her Ojii-san smiled as he helped her grab her belongings and bring them into the house. Rin smiled once she heard that her grandfather was enrolling her to a school that was known for its tennis team.

"Arigatou! It really means a lot to me, tennis, that is. It's the only thing that's been with me for all of these years, besides Okaa-san of course." Rin then turned around and gazed upon her new room. "Whoa…this room is smaller than it looked three years ago," Rin stated as she gazed upon the old pictures of when she was younger. She particularly focused on one picture that was still on the dresser. Rin walked over and picked it up, wiping away the dust that had gathered over the years. It was a picture of a younger version her and Kunimitsu, standing next to each other holding their tennis racquets. Younger Rin had a small smile plastered on her face and Kunimitsu's face was stoic as ever. Not even one smirk or grin. Rin couldn't help but smile at the memories that came flooding back to her. Her smile stopped when she remembered the last angry words he said to her. Her hand's grip loosened on the photo. It slipped out of her hand and shattered on the floor.

"Oh dear, Rin are you alright? I heard glass shattering from the other room? You aren't hurt are you?" Her worried grandfather came rushing in with concern written all over his face.

"…I'm fine Ojii-san, sorry to worry you. Butterfingers, you know? Heheh, I don't have a good grip I guess," Rin said as she put on a fake smile to ease her grandfather's worries.

"If you say so…Come now, we're just in time to catch my favorite show on the television. You head out first; I'll clean this mess up for you. There's food and drinks in the fridge, help yourself to some."

Rin nodded and a silent 'thank you' was sent his was as she exited the room. Once she left, Ryota let his smile fall and looked down at the pile of broken glass scattered on the floor. The room had remained untouched ever since Rin left three years ago. He just had a feeling she was going to need the room again, but he didn't know it'd be this long before she finally came home. Ryota walked over to the pile of glass on the floor and picked up the frame in the middle of it. He gently brushed off the small pieces of glass and looked at the photo. It was the photo of Rin and Kunimitsu when they were only eight. It had been awhile since he last saw Kunimitsu. Ryota recalled the last time he saw Kunimitsu was when he had told him that Rin moved to London with her mother. Ever since then, Kunimitsu stopped coming out to the park with Kunikazu. Ryota even asked Kunikazu what was wrong with the boy and Kunikazu's reply was simple and to the point.

"He misses her."

At that answer, Ryota only scoffed and wore a smirk. It was obvious, and shame on him for not thinking of it earlier without Kunikazu's help.

The current Ryota gripped the picture's frame harder, wishing that whatever had transpired between them was fixed over the years, or had lessened to an extent. He just didn't want to see the two best of friends fighting or holding grudges. It just didn't seem like them.

After cleaning up the mess of glass on the floor, Ryota walked out into the living room to see Rin fast asleep on the couch, the television on, and countless bags of unopened chips lying around her. Ryota just simply smiled before heading off to go get a blanket and pillow for her. Once he did, he gently lifted her head and placed the soft pillow under her head. He then lifted the thick blanket over her whole body, tucked her in, then kissed her forehead before turning off the television and getting ready for bed himself.

The next morning came and the first person awake in the Usagi household was none other than Ryota. After all, the elderly do tend to wake up earlier than younger people. What surprised Ryota was that shortly after he woke up, Rin was awake as well, sitting at the table eating a bowl of cereal.

"Morning Ojii-san," Rin said, not lifting her eyes from the television. Ryota's footsteps faltered and he slowly turned around.

"Oh? You're up this early Rin? I thought you'd sleep in like most other teenagers your age. I guess not. Well, I'm heading off to the park to play Tezuka-san in Shogi again. Would you like to tag along?" He asked, his eyes crinkling to fit his big smile.

"I guess so. It's Sunday after all, nothing to do. School doesn't start until tomorrow. Oh yeah, do you have my uniform for Seishun Gakuen already bought or do I have to go to a store later on my way home?"

"Oh, your mother already paid for your uniform. It should be in one of the unpacked boxes. I'll fetch it later for you. Come on now, we don't want to keep Tezuka-san waiting," Ryota said as he smiled and headed towards the door. Rin nodded, finished off her cereal, and then put the bowl on the sink. She ran to the front door, slipped on her tennis shoes, grabbed her tennis bag that was propped against the door, and sprinted off after her grandfather. Man, for an old guy, he sure is a fast walker. She practically had to _sprint_ to catch up to him, and he was just walking lazily.

Once they arrived at the park, Rin could see that Kunikazu was sitting with his chin propped up on his arm again, like he always looks. Except this time, Kunikazu looked like he had gotten way older since his hair was almost all white and his skin seemed to have more wrinkles than ever.

Hearing footsteps, Kunikazu looked up to see Ryota with a young lady behind him. It seemed like a repeat of history since this has happened before, making him smirk.

"Oi, Ryota-san. Who's this young lady?" he asked, knowing perfectly the answer to his own question, but asking it just to annoy his long time friend.

"Saa Kunikazu-san, you can't tell who this is? She was with us for four years!" exclaimed Ryota, falling into Kunikazu's mind game.

"Hah, I know who it is Ryota-san. I was only toying with you. Oi Rin, you look older and more mature. It seems like the bud finally blossomed into a beautiful young woman," smiled Kunikazu as he watched her reaction. Rin's reaction was what he had expected. Her face lit up a bright red and she looked away.

"Arigatou, Tezuka-san," she said shyly as she continued to look away. She didn't like it when people complimented her looks; she felt it drew too much attention to her outer appearance rather than how she was on the inside.

"Ahah! Still the shy girl I see. Well, that's fine. Were you looking for Kunimitsu?" he asked, once again trying to read her reaction. However, instead of what he was expecting, her blushing stopped and her facial expressed dropped into a frown.

"…No, not really. I just wanted to come out today to see if anything changed while I was gone," she said as she bit her lip, but hid it.

Kunikazu's grin slipped a little before he mentally talked himself into smiling again because he was in front of Rin and Ryota. Her reaction was something he hadn't expected. He had expected her to smile or shy away and say something along the lines of missing Kunimitsu or wanting to spend time with him again. Not the opposite of it.

"Ah. I see. Well, much hasn't changed around here. It's still the same. Even the Shogi scores between your grandfather and I have stayed the same, I'm always one behind him, but yesterday I caught up! Now we're tied once more," he stated while smiling proudly. "What school are you enrolling into Rin?" asked Kunikazu.

"Seishun Gakuen Jr. High, Tezuka-san," she replied.

"Whoa! Really? Kunimitsu is currently attending that school too! Maybe you two will run into each other. Well then, I hope you have fun and meet new people at your new school Rin."

"Eheh, Arigatou again, Tezuka-san," Rin said as she turned towards her grandfather. "Ojii-san, I'm off to the tennis courts. Please come get me when you're leaving," Rin stated as she started to head off.

"No problem, kid. Go have fun and get reacquainted with those courts, it's been a while after all."

Rin reached the courts fairly quickly and opened the gate. She went to her usual place and took out her things. While she did, she couldn't help but smile at the memories that occurred at these courts. Putting aside the bad ones, she remembered the good times she had here as a child, such as falling on the grass while Kunimitsu had been chasing her.

Another memory she was fond of was sitting on the courts after a tiring practice with Kunimitsu, and asking him a question that had been bugging her for a while.

_"Hey Mitsu-chan, do you ever wonder if we're going to be the same people we are today or are we going to change? Nyeeh! I hope I don't change! I want to stay the same!" complained a nine year old Rin._

_"Don't worry about it, the last person I'd expect to change is you. Besides, if you did change, I'd still be your friend Rabbit-chan," Kunimitsu said as he looked over to her from where he was sitting. Rin smiled because he had used his nickname for her, since she didn't like saying 'Kunimitsu'. Also, her last name meant 'rabbit', so Kunimitsu had gotten used to calling her that after teasing her about it. Of course, since he teased her about it, she had gotten mad at him for a few days, but quickly got over it once he invited her out to play tennis the following week._

_"Eh? Really Mitsu-chan? You'd be my friend even if I do change? Whoa! Arigatou Mitsu-chan! You're the best friend I can ever ask for!" Smiled Rin as she lunged over from where she was sitting and hugged Kunimitsu tightly. Being a boy, Kunimitsu stiffened and felt awkward._

_"H-hey, get off of me...and it's no problem. I'm pretty sure you'd be my friend too if I changed…" Kunimitsu said silently while looking down at Rin._

_"Ehh? Why wouldn't I be your friend Mitsu-chan? Hey, I've got an idea. Let's make a promise, no, no a pinky promise! That's how you know it's serious," said Rin with a pout and look of determination on her face._

_"Pinky promise…? If you want Rabbit-chan, then I suppose I can," said Kunimitsu, fully aware that she was still hugging him and not letting go._

_"Okay then! Let's promise that whatever happens, nothing will come between us as friends! Whether we change or decide to hate each other in the future, I want us to remain friends in any way we can…because honestly you're my best and only friend Mitsu-chan," Rin said as she dug her face into his chest, hiding her blush. Kunimitsu's lips lifted upwards a tiny bit into a small smirk._

_"Hai, sure then. We'll be friends no matter what, pinky promise. H-hey Rabbit-chan…you're my best and only friend too, so I don't want to lose you either," said Kunimitsu as he blushed and looked behind him, avoiding eye contact with her. After a few minutes, he slowly glanced back to see her gleaming hazel orbs looking up to his dark brown ones._

_"Heh, pinky promise to you too Mitsu-chan," Rin said, then grabbed his left pinky and shook it with her left pinky. She then smiled and looked over to the entrance of the tennis courts. "Oi, it's getting dark again. Let's go," she said as she got up and extended her hand to Kunimitsu._

_"Y-yeah," he said as he grabbed her hand and helped himself up._

Rin smiled at the memory that just flashed before her eyes. She remembered that back then, pinky promises were very important to her, and she strived to keep them all with the people she made promises with.

_'I wonder if Kunimitsu-kun still remembers the pinky promise…'_ Rin thought. _'Probably not as it most likely doesn't mean anything to him anymore...'_

Rin glanced at the tennis courts one last time before heading back to the Shogi area to catch up with her grandfather.

**A/N: Sorry for the long wait, I've been busy with other things lately. :| I'm also working on two other stories so I'm trying to balance it out. Updates, I think, should be between one or two weeks depending on my schedule and how much free time I have. Chapter three will hopefully be out soon as I have written it, and it just needs proofreading. Thanks for waiting! c:**


	3. Chapter 3

HELLO THERE~. Sorry for the long wait (as always), hope you enjoy! ~(^w^~)

**Disclaimer: I do NOT own Prince of Tennis OR Tezuka Kunimitsu. You guys would _sooooo_ notice if I did.**

* * *

><p>Today was Monday, the Monday that Rin was going to start school at Seishun Gakuen. She had woken up already, a few minutes after her grandfather, and had started getting ready for the day ahead of her. Once she was dressed, she lazily walked towards the kitchen and grabbed a banana out of the fruit basket on the countertop. Her grandfather turned his attention away from the breakfast he was making and looked at her.<p>

"Oi, you aren't eating breakfast at home? I made your favorite Japanese dish," said Ryota as he held out her plate for her to grab.

"It's okay Ojii-san. I'm not that hungry. Plus, I've got to get going. I wanna get there early so I can go tour around the school. I want to know where I'm going, you know," Rin replied as she finished up packing her tennis outfit and racquet into her tennis bag.

"You playing today then? How long are you gonna be there?" Ryota asked. He had a feeling she wasn't going to be home until late considering how long the tennis club hours were after school.

"No, I just want to see how good Seishun Gakuen is. Also, I heard the girl's team isn't all that great, so I'll just probably hit the courts for a while. I'll be home before dark though," Rin replied as she finished up and started heading for the door.

"Oi, just be safe and have fun alright kiddo? Try to enjoy your first day here." Ryota walked her to the door and smiled at her. He then waved and shut the door.

_~squiggly~_

Rin walked to school (or in the general direction of the school) not knowing which way to go. Her grandfather decided to live in a secluded area near the park that would keep annoying kids and teenagers out of his way. Apparently, this secluded area was also very hard to navigate from his house to the school while also considering that this had been her second time out of the house. It might also not help that Rin had no sense of direction whatsoever.

Rin kept wandering and grabbed her phone to check the time. She had left the house almost half an hour ago. She should have been at the school fifteen minutes ago, but she didn't know where she was going. The neighborhood was a giant maze to her. She had stopped to look around for signs or anything that signaled where she was. She gazed to her left, then to her right. What caught her eyes was the boy wearing a school uniform. He wasn't quite that tall, but he had long brown hair that appeared to be shoulder length. Rin paused, consciously debating whether or not she should call out to him.

"H-Hey!" Rin yelled as she stood there awkwardly. She wasn't one to call out to random strangers.

Once she called out to the boy, he turned around confused. His eyes were shut, but his eyebrows were furrowed in confusion. He looked around, then back to Rin.

"Did you need something?" He asked courteously.

"Y-Yeah. Do you know where Seishun Gakuen Jr. High is? I've gotten lost and I don't know how to get there." Rin smirked a bit and rubbed her neck nervously. Old habits die hard.

"Ah, yeah I do. I actually attend that school. Would you like me to walk you there?" He asked, looking at her with a small smile on his face. Rin replied to his question with a nod then started to walk with him towards the school.

While they were walking, he decided to strike up a conversation between them to ease the tension and break the ice.

"So, what's your name?" He asked while looking forward.

"Usagi Rin. You?" She replied back with her own question while looking over to him. His face hadn't changed from earlier, that smile was still there. Up close, she noticed he had soft looking skin that was like an alabaster white.

"Fuji Syusuke. Did you just transfer here? I've never seen you around before."

"Yeah, I just moved in with my grandfather. I just came home from living in London with my mother. Though, I would like to add that I've lived here before."

Rin continued talking to Fuji, finding out that he wasn't that bad of a guy. They both had made it to school together on time. Once they reached the gates, Fuji was bombarded by a small group of maybe fix or six girls all shouting his name with incredibly idiotic honorifics following his name. Rin flicked her gaze over to the harassed Fuji, who appeared to not be panicking. It seemed that he was used to this everyday. She started to ponder, what made this guy so special?

Rin watched as Fuji excused himself from the group of girls that made up a small portion of his fan base at the school. It was bothersome really, all of the girls finding him at the most inopportune time. He was originally planning on taking her to the attendance office to see what class she was placed in, and to see if she was going to be in the same class as him before they were bombarded by enthusiastic fan girls. The girls stopped yelling for Fuji and slowly started to quiet down. Their gaze had been distracted by something else, no, _someone_ else. Long brown strands of hair bouncing up and down as he took long strides towards the entrance of the school, sharp eyes looking straight forward hidden behind thin-framed glasses, a straight posture, and an air of authority about him. Rin felt she had seen him somewhere before.

She looked over to Fuji to ask him a question, but he already beat her to it.

"That's Tezuka if you're wondering who that is. He's the captain of the boy's tennis team here." Fuji looked over to her, smile still intact. Rin bit her lip and flicked her eyes back over to him as he walked. So it was him, Tezuka. _Kunimitsu_. It hadn't dawned on her that she had been staring at him for possibly the longest time. The bell that rang five minutes before the start of class had snapped her out of her daze.

"Sorry Fuji-san, my thoughts trailed off. Can you please take me to the attendance office?" Rin remembered that she still needed to find out which class she was going to be placed in.

Fuji nodded and started to lead the way. Once at the attendance office, he quickly waved her goodbye, wished her good luck on her first day, then walked off briskly to class.

_~squiggly~_

It had only taken a few minutes to sort things out and for Rin to get her class schedule. Fuji had told her before he left to class that he was in year three, class six. On her schedule, it read: year three, class one. Rin's gaze shifted back up once she was done looking at the schedule. The paper in her hand had started to crinkle at how hard she was starting to grip it. The only friend she had started on a good foot with wasn't going to be in her class to help her. She began counting to five to try to calm her nerves that were jumping everywhere. She sighed and started walking off to class. Her edginess hadn't gotten any better in the past years, and it certainly isn't improving now as she was still feeling jittery and anxious.

Rin walked down the halls looking up at the signs that hung over the doors of the classrooms. She finally reached the sign that read: 3-1. Letting out the breath she was unconsciously holding in, she slid the door open. The teacher paused mid-lecture and turned his head towards her.

"Ah, you're the new student aren't you? Please introduce yourself to the class then take an open seat. I'll have a classmate fill you in on where we're at in regards to the lessons." The teacher took the opportunity to erase the chalk board while Rin talked.

"My name is Usagi Rin. I just moved back here from London, nice to meet you all." She nervously looked around the classroom. Left to right, right to left. She scanned all of the faces that read boredom, interest, or complete disregard.

"That's great, Miss Usagi. Please take…hm…," he said as he reached over his desk to grab the clipboard sitting there. She could only assume that what he grabbed was the seating chart. "Desk number eleven. It should be in front of Tezuka-san and empty since Miss Hato has transferred schools."

Rin looked at where he was pointing and noticed the one empty desk in the sea of faces. She made her way over there, careful to avoid eye contact with anybody. She reached her desk, bent over slightly to put her bag down, then lifted her head up. Her eyes made contact with Tezuka's face, scanning it to see if he remembered her or if he was going to acknowledge that she was even there. He didn't. His gaze was still locked forward and his face devoid of any emotion as ever. His pen was resting in his hand before Rin walked over. Once she locked eyes with him, his hand gripped it harder, to the point of where his knuckles began turning white due to the pressure. It seemed like he was waiting for her to hurry up and sit down so the teacher could continue the lecture on today's math lesson.

"Tezuka-san, if you can, please fill Miss Usagi in over here about what we're doing right now and where we're at." The teacher then turned back around and started writing new numbers and words on the chalk board, followed by the sound of scratching pencils as the students copied everything down.

Rin turned around halfway in her desk and looked at Tezuka. His eyes were locked on hers now. A steady, yet neutral stare that sent shivers down her spine. His eyes then shifted down to the book page where today's lesson was focused around. His hand reached out and slid the book towards her so she could see the contents of the page they were currently on. Rin nodded and turned back around, getting her book (provided by the teacher as a loaner), and opening it to the page they were working with. Class had been like this for some time. The teacher would write notes, the students would copy it down, and the whole process would repeat again.

_~squiggly~_

Rin sat there, chin perched on her palm. She was gazing out the window staring at nothing in particular. The trees outside had rustled and the wind blew leaves in random directions.

"…and that concludes today's lesson. Please pack up as the bell will ring in a few minutes." The teacher said as he began erasing the board again and started to tend to the pile of papers on his desk. As he stated, the bell rang about two minutes later signaling the beginning of lunch. Rin smirked happily as she strode out of the classroom and towards the lunchroom. On her way there, she was so focused on getting to the place without getting lost that she wasn't paying attention to where she was going or who was calling out her name. A hand had landed on her shoulder, causing her to stop and look at the hand on her shoulder. Her eyes flashed up to the owner of the hand's face. It was Fuji. Apparently, he was trying to tell her that she had passed the lunchroom and was heading towards the library.

"Eheh, sorry Fuji-san. I'm still new here. I've also got a bad sense of direction." Rin smiled as she walked alongside him again.

"Don't worry about it Usagi-chan. It's a good thing I stopped you before you went too far. You would've missed lunch." Fuji said as he held the lunch door open for Rin to walk in. She thanked him and headed towards the table to eat, pulling out her bento box that she had prepared this morning. Fuji sat down across from her and pulled out his own bento box. She was about to dig into her intoxicating food that she had been waiting all morning to eat until a loud yell was heard coming from what sounded as if two boys arguing.

_~squiggly~_

"OI MAMUSHI, WATCH WHERE YOU'RE GOING! YOU ALMOST MADE ME SPILL MY LUNCH!" A tall boy with spiky hair and purple eyes was staring furiously at another boy around his age wearing a bandana.

"FSSSHHH!" The bandana boy's reply didn't make any sense…was he supposed to be a snake? Rin started getting irritated because they were being so loud and obnoxious. The yelling continued over something as trivial as food. The voices got louder as it seemed like the two boys were approaching the table where Fuji and Rin sat.

"Oi oi! Fuji-sempai! Please tell this stupid mamushi that he should be apologizing because he almost spilled my food on me!" The boy with spiky hair was already testing Rin's nerve when he started yelling practically next to her ear.

"FSSSHH! Stupid idiot, that's your doing. I didn't even touch you." The 'viper' replied.

Fuji couldn't really do anything, as he didn't like to partake in their arguments that they practically had everyday. Rin clenched her chopsticks tightly to the point of where they snapped. She finally had enough of their senseless bickering.

"OI! I'm trying to eat here! Take your whining and complaining somewhere else or grow up! One of you should be the bigger man and just apologize or just drop the damn subject! Is it really that hard to do?" Rin asked exasperated. The two bickering boys had stopped and were now staring at her. The boy with black spiky hair started to grin a bit after he recovered from the yelling Rin did.

"Oi oi, I like you! What's your name? Mine is Momoshiro Takeshi, but you can just call me Momo!" He was grinning while looking at Rin.

'What on earth is wrong with this boy,' was all Rin could think of for the moment. One minute he's yelling, and then she yells; now he's saying that he likes her? The 'viper' looked at her, scoffed, and then started walking off.

"Yeah, ignore him. Stupid mamushi doesn't like anyone. Oh, by the way, his real name isn't mamushi. It's just a nickname. His name is Kaidoh Kaoru. He's got a scary face, doesn't he?" Momo started snickering and eventually took a seat next to Rin. "Fuji-sempai, you never told me where you found her. She's got fire in her!"

Fuji looked at Rin and smiled at her, reassuring her that he indeed knew Momoshiro.

"Oh yeah huh, you never answered my question," he stated turning to Rin, "so what's your name?"

"Usagi Rin," Rin said as she pulled out a pair of backup chopsticks. She split them apart and started digging into her bento.

"Usagi? As in rabbit?" He couldn't hold it in any longer, Momo started snickering and trying to hold in his laughter.

"Kind of ironic considering you're anything but a rabbit."

"You've only known me for five minutes and you come to that assumption?" She looked at him with a bland expression on her face mixed with annoyance.

"Yup," was his reply to her long question.

Rin sighed and went back to eating, letting Momo and Fuji talk to each other to what seems to be about tennis. Rin listened closer to them as they were talking about the upcoming prefectural followed by the regionals if they were to win the prefectural. This intrigued her as she played tennis as well and that the two people sitting with her planned to go to the nationals with their tennis team.

"Eto…Fuji-san, what's this about the nationals?" Rin asked. Her interest was piqued once tennis was mentioned.

"Ah, our tennis team, Seigaku, is planning on going to the nationals once we defeat everybody else in the regionals and prefectural. Just one step at a time." Fuji replied with the everlasting smile on his face.

"…Oh. D-Do you have tennis practice today? If you do, can I please watch?" Rin was hoping he would say 'yes' and let her see what made their team think they could go to the nationals so easily. As she hoped, Fuji replied with a nod and a smile following it.

She gleamed with happiness as soon as he gave her his response that she was hoping for. She would get to see Seigaku play, and hopefully play some tennis herself.

"You know, we do have a girl's team here," Fuji said, interrupting Rin's inner dance of glee.

"O-Oh, no it's fine. I'm not looking to join a team. I just kind of want to play, but not competitively." Rin finished up her bento, grabbed her bags, and started heading to her last class.

_~squiggly~_

Class had ended a little bit early as the teacher dismissed the students while praising them on a job well done. Rin was nearly the last to pack up as she had fallen asleep and woke up right when the bell rung. The other person in the room with her was Tezuka, and he was packing up his notes and books as well. An awkward silence spread around the room as neither of them were talking, just the sounds of shuffling paper and the zipping of bags.

Once done packing, Rin grabbed her school bag and tennis bag then proceeded to run off towards the direction of the tennis courts. She ran to the girl's locker room and changed outfits quickly, throwing on her shorts and polo with ease. She neatly tucked her stuff away in the cubby, grabbed her racquet, and headed out the door. The tennis courts were full of boys her age and younger practicing their forehand strokes. The coach was nowhere to be seen. Out of the thirty people around, nine people stood out particularly.

The nine boys were wearing jerseys with the word 'Seigaku' on the back. The uniforms were blue and white with red stripes. Rin scoffed at the uniforms and looked over at the rest. It seemed that the groups were separated by seniority in this club. The freshmen were picking up balls while upperclassmen were rallying at a slow pace. The special nine seemed like they were practicing their accuracy as they hit a ball towards a tennis ball canister. They were successful as the ball hit the canisters, sending them flying in random directions.

Rin slowly opened the gate to the courts and walked in. She started heading over to the nine boys dressed differently from the rest of the club. She recognized one immediately.

"Fuji-san!" Rin yelled ecstatically. "Long time no see!" She joked as she walked over to him.

"Ah, Usagi-chan. Nice seeing you here, like you said you would be. We're in the middle of practice though, would you like to watch?" He asked he walked over with the tennis racquet tucked between his arm and body.

"Sure, I don't mind. Hey, I was wondering about this. Why do you and eight other people have specific jerseys and the others don't. Are you guys the school's tennis team? I don't get it."

"Oh yeah, you're from London so you've never seen how a tennis team at a Japanese school would work. Well, the team is determined through ranking matches, and the strongest eight are the school's tennis team. The club just calls us regulars though, as that's the common grouping we go under."

"Wait, eight? But there's nine of you," Rin said as she pointed out the other guys.

"Just recently this year we received a freshman that plays extremely well. He's replaced one of us on the team. Right now, he's replacing Inui-senpai over there. He's the one wearing glasses. The freshman is Echizen Ryoma, the one wearing the cap." Fuji pointed out Inui practicing with the club members instead of the regulars. He then turned his body the other way and pointed out the short boy with green-blue hair that was Echizen Ryoma.

"Ah, I see. What time does your practice end?" Rin asked as she took out her racquet from under her arm and started to adjust the strings. "I kind of want to rally before I head home."

Fuji smiled and grabbed his racquet. "Practice ends in about twenty minutes after our last batch of laps. If you want, I'll rally with you for a while. I have some time before I have to head home too."

Rin smiled and nodded, leaving Fuji and heading back to the benches where visitors sat. She was waiting for a good five minutes before the gates to the tennis courts opened up and someone walked in. That someone was Tezuka, and he clearly looked mad. Rin looked up from what she was doing and over to where he was glaring. It looked like Momo and Kaidoh were arguing again, causing a big ruckus and mess as tennis balls were dropped and scattered.

"Everyone, forty laps!" Tezuka exclaimed in a demanding tone.

Once hearing those words, everybody stopped what they were doing and started running around outside of the tennis court perimeters. It was only Tezuka and Rin in the courts now, with Tezuka standing with his arms crossed watching them run and Rin sitting there on the bench watching Tezuka watch them run. Tezuka noticed that there was another person besides him who wasn't running. He turned around and threw a stern glare at her.

"Didn't I say everyone had to do forty laps?" He questioned her.

"W-Wait! I'm not a part of this club!" Rin exclaimed while trying to get out of doing the forty laps he was trying to assign her.

"It doesn't matter. Forty laps," He said as he inclined his head to tell her to start running. Rin groaned and put her racquet down on the bench. She started heading out the gate and running to catch up to Fuji and Momo.

It took a while, but eventually the forty laps were done. Everybody was tired and sweaty from the heat and exhaustion that the laps caused. The club members were dismissed except for the regulars, who had to stay behind for a short meeting.

_~squiggly~_

Rin had managed to finish her laps and sat on the bench trying to catch her breath. Fuji and Momo had gone to attend the regulars meeting and left her sitting there to try and calm her heart rate down. Noticing that everyone was nearly gone, she headed back to the girls locker room and grabbed her stuff. She put her racquet away and headed out the door. There, she waited for Fuji to come out.

It had only been ten minutes before Fuji finally emerged from the boy's locker room, carrying his Seigaku tennis bag. He was still wearing his jersey polo and white shorts with his racquet in hand.

"Did you have any courts that you wanted to use in particular, Usagi-chan?" Fuji finally stopped as he stood next to her, waiting for her to answer him.

"Huh? Oh, yeah sure. There's this park by my house, if you don't mind going there. It's better than the street courts because there aren't many people that play tennis at that park." Rin replied as she started leading the way back to her house.

"Oh, I see. How did you know that this park had a tennis court?" Fuji asked curiously as he hadn't heard of this park before either.

"I used to come here with a friend and my Grandfather everyday when I was little. My grandfather and my friend's grandfather would go off and play Shogi. My friend and I would run off to the tennis courts and practice for hours there. It brings back good memories," Rin stated as she looked forward and recalling her memories to the front of her mind.

"May I ask who this friend is?" Fuji smiled as his eyes slowly opened a bit.

"Oh, it's no one, really. He and I just used to get along really well and eventually we started drifting. I moved before we could say our goodbyes so I guess it's partially my fault."

"Sounds like you guys have had a bad history together. Have you made up with him?"

"…," Rin didn't reply as she tried to get the thought off of her mind. She didn't want to talk about Tezuka at a time like this because of the memories that were beginning to flood her head. "Sorry Fuji-san, I kind of don't want to talk about it. If that's okay."

"I understand. I shouldn't have pried, I'm sorry. Oh, and you don't have to use the –san honorifics with me, I'll be happier if you consider me as your senpai." Fuji shut his eyes again and threw Rin a smile that seemed to lighten her mood a bit.

"Hah, I guess. Alright then, Fuji-senpai it is. Hey, we're here at the courts." Rin pointed out as the tennis courts were coming into view.

It seems like they weren't alone though, as the sound of a racquet could be heard smacking against tennis balls inside of the courts. As they got closer to the courts, the figure could be seen as tall, long-haired, and male. Finally reaching the doors and pulling it open, Rin saw a person that she didn't want to see right now. Specifically someone that she was just talking about.

_~squiggly~_

Tezuka stopped his serve midway once he saw Rin and Fuji walking side by side to the tennis courts. Rin walked calmly to the courts parallel to Tezuka's, set her things down, and got her racquet. Fuji only needed to drop off his bag and grab a couple of tennis balls before heading over to Tezuka's side. It seemed as if he had started a conversation with Tezuka, and Tezuka answering back. Rin waited for Fuji to begin the rally, and distracted herself by looking anywhere but at Tezuka. Fuji finally stopped talking to Tezuka and refocused on Rin. He dropped the ball and swung at it, hitting it to Rin's forehand. She returned it easily and started a quick but controlled warm up.

Once she was finally warmed up, she requested a game with Fuji. Fuji agreed and let her have the first service.

As their game started, Tezuka glanced over from where he was. He was watching Rin's form and Fuji's reaction to her reflexes. Fuji had used one of his triple counters and easily got a point off of Rin. Tezuka shook his head. Echizen's signature catchphrase would come in handy right now as, "mada mada dane" was the only thing he could think of to say to her. She had gotten better from when they were kids, but she still hadn't reached her full potential. It was as if something were pulling her, keeping her from reaching what she was supposed to be.

The game quickly ended with Fuji winning 6-2. Rin was tired by then, and quickly understood that she had underestimated Fuji and Seigaku. Tezuka walked over and handed Fuji a towel to wipe his sweat. He then walked over to Rin and handed her a towel as well. She muttered a small 'thank you' to him as he walked away.

Fuji smiled at Rin as he walked over to her, bags slung on his shoulder already.

"Hey Usagi-chan, I've got to go. My sister is already here waiting for me. You think you can head home safely?" Fuji asked with concern as he didn't want to have her walking home by herself.

"Yeah, don't worry about it Fuji-senpai. I've got it. It's nothing I haven't done before." Rin replied as she smiled and wished him goodbye.

She packed up her tennis racquet and grabbed her bags. She exited the tennis courts and shut the gates behind her. What surprised her was that Tezuka was leaning on the fence casually, and it seemed like he was waiting for her.

_~squiggly~_

"Usagi, I'm going to walk you home." He stated blatantly.

"No," was her only reply as she began walking in the direction of her grandfather's house, leaving Tezuka standing there staring at her back.

"You have no say in it. It's for your safety." Tezuka replied as he began walking to catch up to her, eventually slowing his strides down so he stayed behind her.

After a while of Tezuka following her, she stopped and let out a sigh. "If you're going to walk me home, at least walk next to me so my grandfather won't think that you're a stalker."

Nothing was heard from Tezuka as his footsteps increased and he was soon walking next to her. While walking, it seemed like Rin had looked at everything except for Tezuka. An air of silence surrounded them as neither made an effort to talk to each other.

Thoughts were running through Rin's head, making her wonder about what she should do in this situation. She had thought over things like apologizing to him, asking him to be her friend again, or just staying silent throughout the whole walk to her grandfather's house. In the end, she went with the third option. Although she wanted to follow the first option, her vocal box appeared to fail her at the most inopportune times. Tezuka was also walking silently next to her, his gaze forward and stoic as usual. They finally reached the premises of the Usagi household. Rin turned around and bowed to Tezuka as she tried to swallow the nervous bulk that had built up in her throat.

"Thanks, Tezuka-san. Goodnight."

Rin saw him nod and continue to wait until she finally reached the front door. Her grandfather opened the door and looked around while exclaiming that it was late, dark, and a girl her age should never be alone at a time like this. She quickly declined that she was alone and nodded her head towards Tezuka, who was standing there watching her and her grandfather.

Ryota waved to Tezuka and yelled, "Thanks Kunimitsu for taking her home safely! Tell your old man that we have another match this upcoming weekend!"

Tezuka seemed to get the message as he nodded and started heading off in the direction of his home.

Rin closed the door behind her as her grandfather threw her a questioning look.

"Look, I didn't ask him to walk me home. He just did." She tried to explain to him. He narrowed his eyes as if he was trying to say that he wasn't thinking about that.

"No, we didn't make up. If anything, it seems like we're further apart. I guess after I left it made a big impact on him, so it's my fault that we're like this now. Don't worry about it Ojii-san, I'll make up with him. I don't like him being so distant to me; it's not the Mitsu-kun I know." Rin said as she went deep in thought about how to get Tezuka back to her.

* * *

><p><strong>AN: So how was it? Any good? Tehehe. Not how you imagined they would meet, huh? I didn't want to rush things though because IT'S ALL ABOUT THE DETAILS, BABY! Man, I sound like Kawamura now... ; u ; Please review!**


	4. Chapter 4

As the Years Pass By

Chapter 4

Rin didn't know what to do about the situation between Tezuka and her. She couldn't decide between meeting up with him and talking about it or just simply apologizing and hope for the best to happen. As she was pondering about her current situation with her childhood friend, she plopped down on her futon and placed a pillow over her face. The pillow shut out all of the lights surrounding her in her room, letting her mind think in peace. Questions and hypotheticals were running through her head, causing paranoia and doubt to rise up from the bottom of her heart.

"What if he doesn't want to be friends anymore? What if he wants to forget me? Wait, no, that shouldn't happen because, I mean, it was a childhood feud. It wasn't anything big…well, to me it wasn't anything big. I wonder how he feels…hopefully he's not overthinking this as I am. Look at me, I'm so drawn in by this problem that I've practically resorted to talking to myself to make myself feel better," Rin sighed. "I really am pathetic. I can't believe he still remembered that though…It's not like I meant to leave him like that. I honestly didn't-"

"Rin, are you in here? Idiot girl, are you trying to risk your health or something? Hurry up and come out to eat dinner. It's getting cold and the table's lonely without you~," Ryota said as he knocked on her door furiously. He had interrupted her thoughts at the worse moment since she was thinking of ways to mend the broken friendship.

"Alright Ojii-san, I'm coming. Just leave the food at the table and wait for about five minutes. I gotta finish the last of my homework," Rin replied, lying in the process so that he wouldn't be too concerned about what she was doing.

"Hehe, alright then! Don't stand me up Rin~," Ryota replied happily as his footsteps were heard getting further and further from the door until they couldn't be heard anymore.

Rin looked from the door back to the ceiling. With a sigh, she put the pillow back in place and picked herself up from her futon. She walked to the door lazily, sliding it open then walking to the kitchen area.

"Ah there you are, Rin. I was waiting! Just on time too; it's been exactly three minute and forty-two seconds. About two more minutes and I would have busted your door open and dragged you out here myself!" He said, chuckling in the process. Rin looked at the stopwatch in his left hand and decided that her grandfather was a man that took words seriously, even if they weren't literal.

"Ojii-san, when I said 'give me five minutes', I didn't exactly mean five minutes. It's an estimation, not how long I would actually take," Rin tried explaining using various facial expressions to express how confused she was with his methods and how his brain worked.

"Yeah, I know that, but I hold words that come out of peoples' mouths quite seriously. If you're going to say it, you might as well do it," Ryota replied, a cheeky smile appearing on his face. "Now come over here and eat. I haven't seen you eat anything since you got home an hour ago. Hurry up, you're missing out on my takoyaki that I made today~," Ryota whined as he held up her plate for her to see.

"Mm, thanks Ojii-san," Rin replied while sitting down and grabbing her chopsticks. "Thank you for the meal!"

Ryota smiled and sat there, eating from his own bowl while watching her eat in the process. She wasn't digging in as voraciously as he thought she would. Instead, she was picking at bits here and there without eating the whole thing. His smiled dropped and his instinctive protectiveness appeared.

"Rin, did something happen? You're not being yourself," he commented, his forehead crinkling in concern due to her eating habits.

"Yeah, Ojii-san. Something did happen. You know how Tezuka walked me home, right? Well, we ran into each other before that sorta. I was transferred into his class and was assigned the seat in front of him. When the teacher asked him to catch me up with where we were at, he didn't speak to me. Only made eye contact, but the eye contact was cold and distant. It was like he didn't see me as someone he knew, or it was as if I wasn't a friend to him. Well, the way I thought of it was that he didn't greet me like a friend. Then, after school he made me run laps with the boy's tennis team because I was on the court. I ran the laps, of course, and asked Fuji if he wanted to go to the park and rally with me for a while before he had to go, and he agreed. What I didn't know was that Tezuka would be there practicing. We didn't make eye contact again since I didn't want to re-experience his emotionless eyes again, but during my rally with Fuji, I could tell he was watching me," Rin said as her voice began to gradually descend into a whisper, "He's sending me mixed signals and I don't know what to do with them. In my head, my thoughts are screaming at me to try to fix what I broke or to just give up on him. It's a hard decision for me, and I know for sure I don't want to give up on him. I just don't know how to go about this. Any thoughts or advice would be useful, Ojii-san."

"I…I don't know what to really say about this. You should know this, though. Since the day your mother moved to England and took you with her, Kunimitsu still visited the tennis courts and would stay there for hours. Ol' Tezuka and I were curious one day after our Shogi game finished up and we decided to check up on him. Turns out, he was just sitting there staring at an empty spot next to him like someone was sitting there with him. We figured it was because he missed you, but wouldn't show it in front of us," Ryota calmly finished. Rin didn't know what to say or how to respond to his statement since she didn't know Tezuka actually missed her.

"I'm such an idiot, Ojii-san. So then, is that it? Should I just be the bigger person and talk to him about it? I honestly want things to go back to the way they were before, when we could joke around so easily and how nothing came between us except for those pointless arguments we had as kids. I miss those times, but it's silly how time can change a person so drastically. From what I saw today about him, it doesn't even seem he can laugh or even pull a simple smile. I don't know what happened to the Mitsu-chan I knew Ojii-san, but I honestly, really do miss him," Rin replied, pushing her food away from her and folding her arms onto the table then resting her head on them. She stared blankly at the design on the table, trying to get her mind off of Tezuka. "Gah, I think I'm just being a big idiot. I mean, I'm making this seem like it's sort of a life or death situation," she scoffed, "I guess I'm just being silly."

"Then do it. Go up to him, talk to him, and restart from the beginning. A fresh start is better than no start at all. Just…my advice for you is just to follow what your heart says, not your brain. If this friendship between you and Kunimitsu means a lot, then pursue it. If not, then don't waste your time on trivial things that you can easily replace," he stated. His words had a lingering hint of a warning behind them, almost as if he was urging her to make up her mind on what she was going to do. "And you're not an idiot. Don't belittle yourself so easily, it's not a good habit to start."

Rin's face lit up a bit and a small smile formed on her mouth. "Yeah, I'm going to do that. I'll talk to him tomorrow. Thanks, Ojii-san. It feels good to get this off my chest and tell someone else. Oh, and thanks…I guess. "

"No problem, kiddo. Good luck on fixing things." Ryota leaned back in his chair as he smirked at the gleaming girl that walked to her bedroom with a joyous bounce in her steps. "Teenagers nowadays, always lingering on problems that have simple solutions. Then again, I have to take into consideration that she doesn't have the years that I've accumulated, or the wisdom that comes with age..." Ryota sat there contrasting himself and Rin for awhile before debating on whether to go to sleep or stay up for another hour.

Morning came quickly to Rin, which she didn't welcome at all displayed by her groaning. She refused to get out of bed until her grandfather had to come in and pour a bucket of ice-cold water on top of her, making her sit up and grab the sides of her arms in an useless effort to warm herself up. Her grandfather smirked, then left the room singing random love songs from his youth leaving the rest of her daily routine to her. As usual, Rin performed the repetitive schedule (including a hot shower this time) and was out of the door about ten minutes earlier than usual.

She walked to school while catching the occasional yawns and trying to fully wake up. Since nobody else was around her, she figured that the school was only about a five minute walk forward so she could rest her eyes while walking. Closing her eyes, she started to slowly drift off while her feet continued moving forward on their own. It wasn't even two minutes into the walk until she bumped into a rather solid figure in front of her, her face pressed hard against what seemed to be someone's back.

"Oof! Hey, what where you're going you-" Rin stopped mid sentence as she opened her eyes to see that she had bumped into Tezuka. Of all days, she decides to bump into him. Why did God hate her so? "Sorry, Tezuka-san. I wasn't watching where I was going…," Rin said as she bowed then quickly began to walk past him.

"Wait, Usagi-san," Rin turned around with a questioning look in her eyes. "Do you want to walk to school with me? I have some things I want to discuss with you." Rin's body turned fully around and she averted her eyes.

"Yeah, sure. Come on, we'll be late soon."

Rin took the first step as it gradually grew into a semi-fast stride to get to school and to avoid talking to Tezuka. Tezuka caught on to what she was trying to do and increased his strides to match hers so that he was next to her in no time.

"Usagi-san…why did you leave?" Tezuka asked, still looking forward. Neither of them wanted to make eye contact.

"My grandfather told you, didn't he? I had to because of my mom. You sound as if I was the one who made the choice to leave in the first place," Rin replied back, trying to refrain from yelling it to get the idea through his head.

"You had other choices, you know. You could've stayed with your grandfather or go with your dad," His voice dropped a key as his eyes shifted over to hers. "You didn't have to leave the country."

"Yeah, well…I don't know how to respond to that. I have a lot of things running through my mind about how we-"

"You."

Rin glared at him for interrupting her. "How _I_ left things off between us. I just want to know though, are we…do you still consider us as friends?" There was a long moment of silence as neither spoke. Rin was getting irritated that he wasn't answering her question. She began to pick up the pace, her anger fueling her legs to walk faster. Tezuka once more caught on to her actions and copied them so he was next to her again. From a distance, it would seem as if the two were racing each other playfully while trying to get to school on time.

"I don't know how to answer that. I wouldn't know how to describe what kind of relationship we have right now, but the word 'friends' certainly won't fit it," he replied, his tone becoming colder.

"Look, what ever happened, happened. Okay? Please don't make a huge hassle out of it. I've let it go already. Let's just start over with a brand new slate. I honestly don't want to lose the one and only friend I have from my childhood. If you didn't know it already, you're a major impact on me. Let's just not let some quarrel cause a rift between us…" Rin trailed off as she began to slow down her pace.

Tezuka halted his steps and continued to look at her eyes, debating whether or not she was being truthful. Well, she was his only friend from when they were younger so that at least has to count for _something_. He watched her eyes that were seemingly empty with a mixture of confusion and sadness. He then thought, _'Are all of those emotions caused by me? Our 'feud' as she calls it?'_ She turned away from him, letting her head drop to the ground. He heard her mumble slightly and saw her hand reach up to wipe her eyes.

"I knew this wasn't going to work…stupid time. Stupid changes. Stupid…stupid Mitsu-chan…," she said, wiping away more tears that threatened to spill. Tezuka's eyes widened for a quick second, but then quickly changed back to his passive self.

He walked over to her and placed a hand on her shoulder lightly, causing her to look up. "Alright, we're starting over a new leaf. Just don't –nevermind," he said as he turned around and quickly began walking to class, leaving a confused Rin standing there relieved that he agreed to start anew with her. The first bell rang and snapped her out of her daze, causing her to break into a full sprint to get to class on time.

After a tiring day of learning things Rin had decided was almost useless to her as nobody would ever be using Calculus for a career, she decided to visit the boy's tennis practice to see Fuji and Momo. Rin walked around the gate, her hands gliding from one part of the fence to another while watching the boys practice their forehand strokes. She watched in amusement as Momo and Kaidoh were swinging and glaring at each other simultaneously. Her eyes flickered over to Tezuka, Oishi, and an old lady wearing a pink jumpsuit. She assumed that since Tezuka was captain, Oishi was the vice-captain. That left the pink jumpsuit wearing old lady as the coach of the team. Rin reached the entrance of the courts and opened the gate to walk inside, closing it quietly behind her so nobody would notice her entering. She walked over to a corner and stood there watching the tennis practice. After counting out loud to fifty, the boys stopped and rubbed their arms while groaning about soreness and pain. Tezuka narrowed his eyes and began shouting orders to the three groups: the freshmen, the upperclassmen, and the regulars.

"Regulars, accuracy practice with Inui over in the first two courts! Upperclassmen practice rallying with each other in the rest of the courts! Freshmen, pick up balls!" His voice filled the entire court as everybody responded with a loud 'yes' and quickly went to fulfill his orders or risk getting punished with laps. Tezuka began to walk around to observe everybody and their forms until he noticed a figure not moving in the corner of the tennis courts. His eyes quickly darted over to the corner and wasn't surprised to see Rin standing there watching the regulars hit the color cones with color coordinated balls in fascination. He walked over to her and stood next to her, and began to speak.

"They train like that for a while in order to practice accuracy and improve their aim," He stated, his voice breaking her out of her awe-struck state.

"Wow…back in London they didn't have these types of training. We mainly just used weights and ran laps to increase stamina along with hitting ball canisters. That's about it, but wow! These guys are good! Hey, I've got to ask though…does that Ryoma have superb vision or something? He hasn't missed one yet and that Inui guy is launching three at him…" Rin asked, curious as to how Ryoma wasn't having problems hitting the red, blue, and yellow balls back at their color designated cones.

"He's the freshman rookie that took us by surprise. Normally, freshmen aren't allowed to join the team but he's an exception. He has a vast potential to unlock and this team will be the thing he needs to achieve it," Tezuka replied, both of them now watching the freshman rookie hit the balls back vigorously with a smirk on his face. Rin raised her eyebrow at him and let out a sigh.

"He reminds me of someone…kind of like you, Tezuka-san. You used to be like that, but less cocky," Rin told Tezuka, smirking and biting back the full smile. Tezuka turned to her, but with his usual straight face. Rin's smirk dropped and she turned her head the other way. It seemed that he hadn't developed a sense of humor in the past years that she was gone. Rin mumbled words along the lines of: 'stick up the butt', 'stoic jerk', and 'one face for every emotion' which caught Tezuka's attention as he heard the last insult clearly.

"Talking to yourself isn't healthy. It's a sign of a mental issue. Maybe you've developed schizophrenia, you should get that checked out immediately," He stated, turning his attention back to Ryoma then to the upperclassmen. Rin's jaw lowered slightly as Tezuka had just insulted her almost directly.

"Tezuka-san, that's very mean of you to talk to a girl that way," Rin replied, crossing her arms and looking away from him and at the freshmen busy picking up balls.

"I heard your last insult, and just so you know I'm captain of this tennis club so I've got to act my part. I intend to take my team to the Nationals and I can't with a carefree slacking attitude," he replied. Tezuka began walking away from her and began shouting orders once more to the upperclassmen to run laps since they were purposely aiming their serves towards the freshmen. Rin cringed at the thought of a carefree happy-go-lucky Tezuka. She walked over to the first two courts where the regulars were practicing their accuracy and decision speed. She saw Fuji sitting standing by, waiting for his next turn after Ryoma.

"Hey Fuji-senpai," Rin greeted as smiled cheerfully at him. He returned her smile with his own and greeted her back.

"I didn't know you were going to visit practice again today, Usagi-chan."

"Yeah, I kinda didn't plan it either but the club kind of caught my eye on the way out of the gates. I just figured I'd stay and watch for a few minute, but I guess I lost track of time again. Heh," Rin smirked as she turned toward Ryoma again, watching him run from one side of the court to the other side and back once more to return the balls Inui was hitting to him.

While Rin was talking to Fuji and watching the regulars practice, Tezuka was watching Rin interact with Fuji. He didn't like how she was already friends with Fuji even though they had only met two days ago. His attention was averted once Coach Ryuzaki called him over along with Oishi to decide about the team for the quarter finals. Rin spoke to Fuji while noticing that Tezuka had left his spot and relocated to the area where the coach and Oishi were. Her facial expression easily shifted into one of confusion as the coach was looking at her while speaking to Tezuka and Oishi, who both turned their heads to meet her gaze. Feeling subconscious from their stares, Rin turned back around and faced Fuji fully while bringing up another subject.

"Hey Fuji-senpai, what do you think your coach is speaking to Tezuka and Oishi about?"

"I'm not completely sure, but I have a feeling they're talking about the challenge matches this upcoming week to decide who the regulars will be for the quarter finals."

"Oh, I see. Well then, good luck to you Fuji-senpai!"

"Thanks, Usagi-chan," Fuji replied with a smile as he stood there watching the rest of practice with her in silence. Only a few minutes later did Rin feel a slight tap on her shoulder, causing her to turn around and see Tezuka standing there with Oishi and their coach behind them.

"Usagi-san-if you'd like-you can be the boy's tennis team manager. I've already discussed it with Tezuka and Coach Ryuzaki. They both agreed that you'd be a great addition to the team as you've had experience and can help around the courts. What do you say?"

"Waa…I don't know why or how, but sure! I'll gladly be the team's manager," Rin replied with a bright smile on her face. She turned to the coach and Tezuka then bowed. "Thank you for having me on the team, I promise I won't disappoint you guys!"

Coach Ryuzaki smiled in reply as Tezuka nodded to her. Rin ran over to Momo (who was sitting down on the ground trying to catch his breath and watching Kaidoh with a competitive air about him) and sat down next to him while telling him the good news that she just received. In response to her good news, he hugged her tightly and was exclaiming how she would be able to see Fuji and him everyday at practice. While he was hugging her, Rin didn't hold back the cheerful smile that came forth. Things were finally right.


	5. Chapter 5

**As the Years Pass By**

**Chapter 5**

**A/N: Sorry for the late…late…late update. :3 DON'T KILL ME~! I just haven't felt like writing lately. Maybe it'll change when summer comes. At least then I'll have a lot of time to kill. c: Also, thank you to my beta **_pyrrhicvictoly_** for being such a patient beta (and a thorough one at that) :3. **

Rin woke up from the peaceful nap she was enjoying. Well, it wasn't peaceful anymore seeing as how the teacher, Mr. Otonagi was standing in front of her with a displeased look on his face. He released a sigh that contained years of pent up stress and asked a question in a calm, controlled tone.

"Why were you sleeping, Usagi? Not enough rest last night?" His eyes were practically shooting daggers at her.

"Eheh, you see Mr. Otonagi, I got caught up last night with some really good news so my grandfather and I celebrated! We found our lost cat and whatnot, and I guess I got carried away. I-"

"Gah, save it Usagi! Stay after class for fifteen minutes so we can discuss your behavior in class."

Rin dropped her head in defeat and stayed like that for the rest of class, occasionally zoning out or trying to listen to Tezuka's pen scribbling away on notebook. Eventually, the bell rung and the class was dismissed, save Rin. Rin looked up to see Mr. Otonagi towering over her desk while she was relaxing.

"Really now, Usagi. I expected more out of you, especially since you showed so much promise the first few days."

"Mr. Otonagi, I'm a good student; trust me. I just happen to be a very lazy one, at that. I'll get my work done and whatnot, but my learning habits are very different. I'll try to pay attention as much as possible, but it's kind of hard when I can't focus." Rin explained, hoping he would get that school was the last thing on her mind. He agreed and then dismissed her with a warning followed by a ten minute lecture of the effectiveness of a good study habit.

Rin left the classroom, her bag slung over her shoulder lazily. She was practically a zombie, and looked like one too with her ragged appearance. She saw Eiji and Momo on the way to the lunch room and passed them. They barely recognized her until they saw her face hidden behind her messy hair.

"Oi, Usagi, what happened to you! You look terrible!" Momo exclaimed, taking in her whole appearance.

"Thanks, Momo. As if I didn't know that already." She replied, her face deadpanned.

"Hahaha, real funny Momo!" Eiji commented. "So really, what happened Rin?"

"I went to sleep late last night," Rin yawned "and I could barely wake up this morning. I don't know, I'm just so…tired." She yawned again, covering her mouth. "Where are the others?"

"Oh, they skipped lunch today to go practice at the courts. With the preliminaries coming up, bucchou and Coach want to figure out the regulars participating." Eiji explained. "You should come watch! Bucchou will be playing!"

"Whaa? Really!" Rin's face lit up right away. "I get to see Mitsu-kun play seriously?"

Eiji's face was filled with confusion and so was Momo's. Both asked simultaneously, "Mitsu-kun?"

"Oh, crap! Did I say Mitsu-kun?" Rin laughed nervously while backing up in the direction of the courts. "Forget that, okay? He doesn't like it when I use his childhood nickname around his friends." Rin's face deadpanned again and she added, "He's not a very fun guy."

Momo and Eiji just stared at her with clueless looks on their faces, before looking at each other and shrugging it off. They followed Rin as she headed for the courts where Tezuka would be playing a set against Fuji. They arrived in the middle of the match as Tezuka was winning 5-0, with him barely sweating and Fuji beginning to show traces of heavy perspiration. _Well, who could blame them? I'm surprised they aren't dying in this hot weather._ Rin wiped the bead of sweat that threatened to trail down the side of her face. Silently, she was rooting for Fuji because he seemed as if he had tricks up his sleeve that could be used as an advantage over Tezuka.

In the end, Fuji lost 6-0. He was a good sport, though, because he shook Tezuka's hand and thanked him for the match. Rin rushed over to Fuji and handed him a towel with a small smile on her face.

"Good job, Fuji!" Rin said.

"Ah, thank you Rin. I tried, but I guess the heat got to me." Fuji replied as he used the towel to wipe the sweat off of his face before draping the towel over his neck. They both turned to Tezuka who walked over after putting his racquet back in his bag.

Tezuka sent a nod towards Fuji and stared at Rin before leaving the courts. Rin watched his back as he walked away, sighing slowly.

"Not even a simple 'hi'," she commented, "even after we made up." Her nose scrunched up, showing her discontent. Fuji chuckled softly before turning around.

"It's fine, Rin. He's probably just getting used to having you around. Just be glad he actually acknowledged you; if you were just any other fan girl of his, he wouldn't have even spared you a glance." Fuji smiled that smile of his, then put a hand on Rin's shoulder. "It's fine, trust me."

Rin smirked, her mood growing brighter. "Thanks Fuji, that makes me feel better."

"It's no problem at all." Fuji replied.

Rin jogged slowly to the other courts where Inui and Ryoma were having their set. It seemed interesting since Momo was there along with Kaidou, Oishi, and Eiji. Fuji joined them a few minutes later, with Rin standing close by Momo.

"Who's winning so far, Momo?" Rin asked.

"It's a close one. Echizen's in the lead right now, but Inui can catch up anytime soon. I'm surprised Echizen can beat Inui's data tennis!" He remarked.

Rin stared in awe as the ball shot over the net at insane speeds, her eyes barely even able to catch up.

"And how long have they been at this, exactly?" She asked in awe, her mouth slowly forming an 'o'.

"About half an hour already," Momo began, "I don't see how they're lasting this long. Especially at the pace they're going too." Rin nodded in agreement.

~AYPB~

While Rin was watching Ryoma and Inui's match, another person was watching her silently from the third story window that was Coach Ryuzaki's office.

"Tezuka, that's not a healthy habit; to be staring at people like that." Ryuzaki remarked, the corners of her mouth upturned into a devious smirk. "It seems you're having a little problem with your love life…?"

At that comment, Tezuka turned around and glared slightly at the old woman that was leaning back in her chair, her face filled with amusement.

"It's not that. I'm debating over who should take the last spot for the regulars." Tezuka replied, trying to throw Ryuzaki off of his case about Rin.

"Ohoh, sure Tezuka~!" She laughed. "I'd say let that Echizen boy on the team. He looks like he's pillar material."

Tezuka considered that comment as he was watching Echizen play. But as he tried to watch the possible regular and the third year regular, his eyes kept drifting to the girl against the fence, staring in awe. Just as he was about to zone out, the door to Ryuzaki's office opened. Oishi stepped in, his face gleaming.

"Tezuka!" He began. "Echizen won!"

That broke Tezuka out of his stupor as he turned around and looked at Oishi. He was partially mad because of Oishi interrupting his thinking.

"We'll determine the positions tomorrow." Tezuka replied, his voice stoic as usual. Oishi nodded and ran out the door to go tell the others of the news. Ryuzaki continued to smile that devious smile of hers. Tezuka turned to her, nodded, then left out the door; all while thinking about the amazed girl down by the courts. He had seen her earlier after his match with Fuji, but he didn't understand why she would go congratulate Fuji first, and not him. He recalled not saying anything to her as he walked away. _Rin…Fuji…._ His thoughts kept trailing on in that direction, eventually leading him to the conclusion that Rin was interested in Fuji. No, not _interested_, but more like _crushing_. On. Fuji. Somewhere in the back of his mind, he didn't seem happy with the thought of those two together. He shook it off as he continued walking to the courts, but the thought lingered there; the idea bouncing in his head back and forth.

**A/N: Tell me readerettes, am I evil for just not updating in 5ever? WELL, it's okay! Summer's here in three days for me~! Yaay! And all that time will be spent sleeping and popping out more stories from the brain toaster to you wonderful peeps. **


	6. Chapter 6

**As the Years Pass By **

**Chapter 6**

**Disclaimer: I don't own Prince of Tennis. If I did, holy bejeebus do you know how not-bored I would be? :D**

**Thank you, **_pyrrhicvictoly_**, for being a wonderful beta!**

Once school was out, Rin had originally planned on heading home to finish up her homework so she could catch a few hours to nap, but had been interrupted when Oishi and Fuji had popped up out of nowhere.

"Usagi! Wanna hit the courts with us?" Oishi asked, his warming smile catching Rin's attention.

"Yeah, sure!" Rin yelled, throwing the idea of taking a long nap out the window. She walked over to Oishi and Fuji, starting a random chat about the team for the preliminaries.

"That's right! That freshman, Echizen, made it onto the team! Only after beating Inui. Who knew, eh?" Oishi laughed a little bit more before Rin began to wonder who they were waiting for since they hadn't begun walking to the courts yet.

"Who are we waiting for?" Rin asked, curious. Were they waiting for some people from the team?

"Well, we don't have to wait anymore. Tezuka's walking towards us now." Rin didn't know what to think. Tezuka was coming along? That seemed rare. She had always thought he would go home right after school to do homework or do whatever he usually did. It's not like she knew his routine or anything.

"Sorry I'm late; Ryuzaki-sensei wanted to discuss the line ups for the preliminaries." Tezuka adjusted the strap on his shoulder slightly so that it wasn't sliding off. His face was the never changing stoic expression.

"Mhm, it's fine! Now that you're here we can head out!" Rin exclaimed, a lot more hyper than she was a few minutes ago. It seemed Tezuka's presence was all she needed to get her energy flowing again. They all headed off towards the park, Oishi and Rin holding a steady conversation while Fuji and Tezuka were silent in the back.

"Whoa, so did you see that show last night where the old man attempted to fight a watermelon monster?" Rin asked Oishi enthusiastically. "I love those kinds of shows because they're always so funny!" Oishi laughed along.

"No, I didn't see it yet but I'll try to watch it later when I get home!" It wasn't long before they arrived. It also didn't take long for Rin to realize she had left her racquet back at home since she had planned on going home right away. How did she _not_ notice that she didn't have a racquet the whole time? She mentally scolded herself for being so unobservant.

"Ah, guys…I left my racquet at home and I didn't just realize it until now." Oishi deadpanned, wondering how anybody could plan on playing tennis and forget that they left their racquet at home. Rin laughed nervously while trying not to look stupid. Her nervous laughter was cut off when a white racquet handle with a "T" on it was handed to her. She looked up at Tezuka who just held his normal expression.

"Are you going to take it?" He asked, pushing it into her hands gently. Rin didn't know what to say because he had never done anything like this when they were younger.

"Thank you, Tezuka-kun," Rin smiled before holding onto the racquet tightly. Tezuka nodded before walking over to Fuji to ask if he wanted to play a game.

Rin stood there, watching him as he walked to the first court with Fuji following behind him. Oishi stood there, smiling as he noticed Rin was watching Tezuka. He made his way over to her and asked her if she wanted to hold a steady rally with him all while trying to test his theory.

"So Rin is there somebody catching your eye right now?" He asked, trying to hide the coy smile threatening to form on his lips.

Rin whipped her head so fast that she had almost stumbled. "N-No! Of course not!" She stammered, trying to regain her composure. "I mean, we're all friends here and all! Having a romance with any of you would be weird, and I don't think-"

"Rin! Relax!" Oishi laughed, his hand holding onto his stomach. "I was just kidding!" With that statement, Rin blushed slightly and lowered her head. She fell for that trick, even though it was very plainly obvious. So obvious, even a five-year old could detect it.

"That's not funny, Oishi! You don't mess with people's feelings!" Rin whined, pouting in the process. "But, heh, let's go rally or something." She said, gripping Tezuka's racquet tighter. As they were walking to the courts, Rin kept watching Tezuka play against Fuji. Fuji, being Fuji, was able to hold his ground even though it seemed he was working up quite a lot of sweat while Tezuka was still standing in the same spot he was.

"You know, I think you're the first person that I've seen Tezuka lend his racquet to." Oishi stated, his comment breaking Rin out of her dreamy gaze.

"Wha? Really?" Rin asked, not believing him.

"Yeah! When Momo's strings popped, Tezuka told him to use an old racquet from the storage room." This made Rin pause and think.

"What's that supposed to mean, Oishi?" She asked, wondering what Tezuka was up to.

"I don't know, but I think you must be special to Tezuka. He normally doesn't go out of his way to help others unless they're important to him." Oishi smiled, which caused Rin's grin to shoot up an extra twenty percent.

"Alright!" She glanced over to Tezuka one more time before starting their rally.

~AYPB~

While Rin was rallying against Oishi, Tezuka's attention had begun wavering over to Rin. He noticed how she was watching him play the first game against Fuji. He saw how she held his racquet close to her, as if it were going to run away. For some reason, that gesture made him smile slightly, but not enough for anyone to notice.

By the time Fuji and Tezuka had finished their set, it was already evening and the sun was beginning to set. It would get dark soon and Tezuka decided they should leave before it would make walking home quite a hassle. Oishi and Rin had finished a few minutes before them, Oishi barely sweating while Rin was wiping sweat off her forehead with her forearm.

"You know, tennis takes quite a toll on your body, huh?" Rin asked. It seemed as though she was nearing exhaustion. "I mean, I feel so tired my legs will probably melt off." She laughed a bit, and so did Oishi as they compared their legs to liquids of all sorts.

Once everyone packed their bags, they began to walk home. Oishi and Fuji heading towards the subway while Tezuka walked with Rin home since they lived so close to each other.

The silence was a long one before Rin decided to break it.

"Thank you for letting me borrow your racquet today, Mitsu-kun!" She smiled at him. She continued walking slightly before her legs began to shake a bit. Tezuka noticed this, stopped, and waited. "S-Sorry I think I overdid it today. My legs are a bit sore." She smiled while trying to continue to walk, but kept stumbling which caused Tezuka to catch her.

"If you keep going at this rate, we won't be able to make it home before it gets dark." He took his tennis bag off and placed it on the ground. He got on one knee, his back facing her.

"N-No, that's too much of a hassle for you, Mitsu!" Rin tried telling him that she was fine, but he wouldn't hear it. In the end, his stubbornness beat hers. Her legs were wrapped around his waist while her arms circled his neck. She was holding onto his bag while he carried her home. She had to admit, being carried home by Tezuka felt nice.

While thinking, Rin absent mindedly buried her nose into his neck, sending shivers down Tezuka's spine, though he wouldn't show it. Eventually, she nodded off to sleep, her arms tightening around his neck.

~AYPB~

Tezuka had arrived in front of her door and was trying to get her to loosen her grip around his neck. In the process, he had woken her up. Still groggy, Rin noticed she was home. She turned to Tezuka and smiled.

"Thanks for today, Mitsu-kun." She said, in a sleepy voice. She reached up and wrapped her arms around his neck in a warm hug before letting go and walking to the door. She turned around and waved goodbye to him before shutting the door.

Tezuka just stood there, the warmth of her body still lingering on his body. He hadn't expected that from her, and it had caught him off guard. Nevertheless, he smirked before turning around and heading home himself.

**A/N: I'm so sorry that this took forever to update. I'm just having a huge block with this story. And honestly, this is the least favorite story I have out of all the other ones so I don't know what's going to happen to it. : I don't like abandoning things that I've started, so I'm going to try my hardest to continue this as far as I can. **

**Originally I was going to have this go up to at least over twenty chapters, but I think I might shorten it a bit, but it'll just have a bit more quality to it, hopefully.**

** !**


End file.
